Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132

Theodore’s expression darkened immediately. “What’s that supposed to

mean?”

“I need to disinfect myself. I already told you–your hands are filthy.” Emma spritzed the sanitizer, her tone calm as she placed the bottle back on the nightstand.

“You-” Theodore was once again goaded by her indifference.

Emma, unfazed, lay down and turned away, settling into the freshly changed sheets that smelled faintly of lavender. They were soft and comforting. Whatever Theodore did now, it was out of her hands.

After a while, Theodore’s voice finally rose from behind her. “Emma, I have a few questions.”

She kept her eyes closed, silent.

“How did you get hold of the security footage?”

Of course. She’d known there couldn’t be any good reason for him to come home at this hour. Naturally, she wasn’t about to answer him, and met his question with silence.

“Emma, I can’t believe you pulled this off. Who taught you? Was it Sebastian?” He spat out Sebastian’s name like it tasted foul.

“No.” Emma was forced to reply–she couldn’t let Sebastian take the

blame for this.

“Then who was it? Tell me.”

He wasn’t going to let this go tonight, was he?

Emma told him bluntly, “Don’t waste your breath. I’m not telling you.”

“Emma, don’t be foolish. Even if you don’t talk, do you really think modern tech can’t trace it back to you?”

Emma rolled over, fixing him with a level gaze. “You really can’t trace it.”

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Chapter 132

She waved her phone in front of his face. “Of course, if the police want to investigate, I don’t mind handing it over to them.”

She knew Theodore wouldn’t dare.

He’d been desperate to shield Cecilia from blame, urging her over and over to drop the charges. Now that Cecilia was clearly facing arson and attempted murder charges, there was no way he’d risk dragging this any further with the police.

If Emma was right, what Theodore really wanted was a private

settlement.

As she turned her back to him again, he finally spoke up. “Emma, I know you don’t want to withdraw the case. I didn’t want to try convincing you again, but I can’t stand the thought of us seeing each other in court. Emma, we’ve been married for five years. In all that time, have I ever wronged you?”

Five years. Emma felt a sharp pang in her chest. She had no desire to look back on those years anymore.

“I’m grateful you saved me back then, grateful you gave me a chance to atone. For these five years, I’ve done everything I could for you. So, can I ask you for one favor? If you agree, I’ll accept any condition you set, no matter what it is.”

There it was…

“You want me to drop the case and settle with Cecilia and your two useless friends?” Emma cut straight through his pretense.

“Yes,” Theodore replied, unabashed. “I’m sorry, Emma, but I have to protect Cici. She’s the only light I had in the darkest time of my life.”

Emma’s heart plunged,

What was he thinking? Standing in front of his wife, telling her another woman was his only light–and still expecting her help?

“Emma.” Theodore pressed on, “You know my grandmother is the most important person in my life. Cici and her mother saved her. Cici’s mom is

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a doctor–she was my grandmother’s attending physician when she was gravely ill. You know what I was like then–I was estranged from my family, my parents didn’t care when my grandmother got sick, and I was just a high school kid. I had to bring her meals every morning, noon, and night. Later, my grandmother told me I only needed to come in the evenings, because volunteers were helping during the day. One evening, I visited her and saw a jar of paper cranes beside her bed. She said a volunteer had given them to her–a thousand paper cranes, each one a wish for her recovery.”

Theodore’s voice caught. “In the end, she didn’t recover. A thousand paper cranes were just wishes. But, Emma, do you know what it’s like when your whole world is gray, and you’re carrying everything on your own? That girl who helped me care for my grandmother, who lit up my darkness with those paper cranes–that was Cici. I never thought I’d meet her again, but then, I saw her in college. So no matter what she’s done, she’ll always be that light to me.”

Emma listened in silence, but couldn’t help letting out a laugh at the end.

Theodore, are you really sure that the girl who made those thousand paper cranes… was Cecilia?

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